“Oh, Sinclaire, that feels so good,” Mungo Park said in a passable imitation of his mistress in the throes of passion.
“Oh no,” she squawked, mortified, and buried her face in Sin’s broad chest. Her husband gave a shout of laughter.
“That’s not funny,” she protested, pulling the sheet up over her head.
“Yes it is,” he managed, wrapping his strong arms around her and laughing.
— “Oh, Sinclaire, that feels so good.” —
“How long do parrots live?” he mused.
“About another five minutes.”
Mungo the African grey parrot, like his owners, are fictional — creations of the fertile mind of Suzanne Enoch, a romance novelist, appearing in her novel, Meet Me at Midnight. Mungo is an example of a small but growing number of parrots and other birds that appear in the most popular genre of fiction: the romance novel. Parrots in romance novels serve a variety of functions, from matchmaker to sounding board; from comic relief to hero.
Over half of all popular mass fiction sold in the U.S. are romance books, and a sizable number of romance books do feature parrots as characters. Because of their ability to express themselves vocally, their longevity and their interesting personalities, romance writers are finding that parrots nicely fit their literary needs.
**For the full article, pick up the October 2007 issue of BIRD TALK**
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